Hammer

14

CHARLIE

Hammer really was a hard man to like. And Charlie wasn’t sure why she liked him as much as she did.

He was an asshole, to be quite honest. But she knew his hard exterior was only a result of something that had happened in the past.

Something more lingered beneath the surface. That was obvious from the way he winced at the mention of his family.

She knew he had been in prison. Maybe his stay there had changed him too.

Charlie swallowed as she followed Hammer. Her mouth had gone dry at the thought of Hammer in any kind of pain. They had only known each other for a couple days. Yet she felt something for the dragon shifter. Was it compassion? Or something more?

No, there is nothing more behind this, she told herself. There couldn’t be anything more behind it.

There couldn’t be anything more to them. No matter how much it hurt Charlie to think of Hammer being hurt.

A sudden wave of rage crashed over her, leaving her unsteady. She knew, without a doubt, that Hammer hadn’t deserved to land in prison. His behavior had revealed him as an honorable man. Anyone else would’ve tried taking advantage of her. And she might have let Hammer.

She couldn’t deny she was attracted to him.

They walked another few miles. When the thick bushes and plants started thinning out, she knew they were close to a clearing.

Charlie had studied Thiorheil’s geography extensively. She hadn’t been in the southern regions before. But she had learned enough to read the landmarks offered by nature.

As they walked, her mind flashed back to her days as an anthropology student in college. Charlie had thrown herself into her studies with gusto. Those had been the best days of her life. She had made several lifelong friends. Including Angie, one of the women who had joined her on her first professional dig.

That had been so long ago that it felt foreign. Her memories of that part of her life were hazy. It was as though she was watching it on a television screen. Like it was someone else’s life. And at this point, it could have been.

Angie would never have believed her if she had told her about dragon shifters. Including the one who walked in front of her now. The very attractive one.

Charlie had also realized that she was starting to forget the pain of Randy’s betrayal. The thrill of fighting for her life seemed to have wiped the slate clean.

When she looked around, she saw the signs that water was nearby. Small animal tracks all leading in one direction were a dead giveaway.

The faint buzz of swarming insects in the distance also told her that a pool of water stood by.

However, the insects weren’t very loud. The swarm couldn’t be very thick. That meant the water wasn’t stagnant, which was good. It meant they could drink it.

Sweetgrass and moss grew all around them, almost waist high. The air was fragrant with the lush, luxurious scents of the flora.

The beauty made her heart ache. This was what she had come to this country for. Discovering and exploring natural beauty.

And more importantly, understanding how history had shaped around the sweetgrass and moss.

Charlie was surprised when a wave of violent rage swept over her. It almost sent her stumbling into Hammer.

She was furious at Ajmal. At the man who had snatched away her best opportunity to explore.

Charlie felt almost violated at the thought of Ajmal and his brutality.

It didn’t seem as though Hammer had noticed her swift change in mood. Instead, he walked on steadily. So, she took several deep breaths and then focused on her surroundings.

The ground beneath them was becoming darker and richer as they continued walking. That surely meant that there was an abundance of water close by.

Water and an undisturbed ecosystem also meant wild food.

Her suspicions were proven correct when she heard the water from a nearby stream. She pushed past Hammer impatiently and burst through the long grass.

The vegetation parted to reveal the most beautiful clearing that Charlie had seen. It was certainly more beautiful than anything she had seen in the States.

The clearing was entirely untouched by human hands, and natural resources grew in abundance.

Charlie turned again, and again, looking at the space around her. She was unable to hide her delight at finding wild bananas.

It was when she turned to Hammer to urge him to join her that she saw him wobble.

She darted to him immediately, just missing him as he fell. He collapsed at her feet, and Charlie froze.

Time slowed to a standstill as she looked down at him. He had fallen onto his stomach. The makeshift tourniquet that he had fashioned had torn. Now, blood gushed from the wound.

His breathing was shallow and barely audible.

Her world spun around her.

There is no f*****g time to panic, my girl, Charlie told herself firmly. Sure, Hammer passing out at her feet was panic-worthy. Sure, they were in the middle of nowhere, in a country she was only partially familiar with. Sure, there were three vultures circling.

Charlie let herself stare at Hammer’s prone form for a minute. Then, when her heartbeat had settled, she jumped into action.

Charlie hadn’t left grad school with only her many degrees in hand.

She had spent an equal amount of time learning CPR, studying herbal medicines, and had even delved into paramedicine.

She had been a scout, after all. The maxim of always being prepared had never left her.

But she had never had to treat a dragon shifter. She had no knowledge of his physiology, as Hammer had pointed out earlier.

But right then, none of that mattered. All she could do was try and hope for the best.

She got to her knees and leaned down to listen to his breathing, it was shallow, and his breath was also slightly sweet. Charlie exhaled with relief when his eyes fluttered open.

“Hey, hey,” she whispered hurriedly. She placed a hand on his head, smoothing back his soft hair. “I’m here. You’re okay. I’m here.”

She whispered the words over and over until the words became a string of senseless noise.

The first thing she noticed was how hot his skin was. She touched the palm of her hand to his cheek. That was equally hot.

His skin was also bright red, and as hot as his skin was, she did not miss the way he shivered.

Hammer had developed a fever.